On the night of October 9, 1896, the town of Corning, Iowa was awakened by an alarm bell. A fire had broken out near the railroad tracks on the south side of town. As firemen and citizens fought the blaze, little did they know that an even bigger disaster was about to happen right behind them.
Sources
A Great Blaze. Adams County Free Press, 10/15/1896
“Risen From the Ashes.” Adams County Free Press. October 14, 1897
Destructive Fire at Corning. Audubon Republican, 10/15/1896
W.C. Chubb. The Laclede County Republican, 9/14/1927
Schweider, Dorothy. “Iowa: The Middle Land.” Iowa State University Press. Ames. 1996.
City of Corning, Iowa. http://www.cityofcorningia.com